Should I ask for $25,000 more?

The boss says, "You're extremely important to the company, and
we want to pay you more - you tell us how much more." It's news
any employee would love to hear - or is it?

Q. I was hired four years ago as a desktop technician
for a Fortune 500 company. Since then I have skyrocketed up
in the company, and I have been getting spot bonuses (of
$1,200) and salary increases of about 9 percent a year.

However, since I was hired as a desktop tech and was given a
competitive salary for that field, I've since become a major
software/Web developer for the company. For the past two
years I have been doing client/server development, but for
the salary of a highly paid desktop tech, which is much
lower.

My manager just walked into my office and told me I was now
classified as a high-profile employee of great importance by
the senior executive. I was told I am changing job titles and
I should write up a profile of what I consider my future with
the company and my salary requirements. Would it make sense
to ask for a salary of at least $25,000 more than I'm
getting?

A. Before you start negotiating any salary with your
current employer, ask your supervisor to tell you your new
job title, and describe your new responsibilities. It's not a
good idea to take on the responsibility of defining your new
job responsibilities, since it is ultimately up to your
supervisor to approve them.

After you have some idea of what your new job will be, go to
the Salary Wizard or get a Personal Salary Report and match those
requirements to the appropriate job description. Let the data
from your research guide you through your salary
negotiations.

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